RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Much of the holidays can be spent around the Christmas tree, cooking in the kitchen, even shopping for gifts but one family decided to create a different memory.
The Tour De Lights, getting you out of the house and filled with holiday cheer without having to brace the cold or waste gas.
“My wife and I enjoy driving around and looking at Christmas lights and one time we just kind of got frustrated because we’d go into neighborhoods and we wouldn’t see any lights,” said Seth Malott, owner of Century 21 ClearView. “We didn’t know where to go exactly to see the best lights and we just thought it would be beneficial to start writing down addresses and compiling them onto a Google map and helping others find good lights.”
Created five years ago, the tour now includes around 120 homes spanning Rapid City. Even spreading into Summerset and Box Elder and one of those light displays is a family affair.
“This is our Christmas display, me and my sister and my parents like to set this up every year and have a nice fun time doing it,” said Brett Novotny, who helps his family put up their light display. “We do this to make people happy and for our own enjoyment as well too.”
The Novotny family has made the treetops glisten for eight years, well before the Tour De Lights, and loves being a destination for those looking for some holiday cheer.
“It makes me feel appreciated because when we hang up our Christmas lights, people stop by and say thank you because they really enjoy Christmas displays,” said Brooke Novotny, who also likes to help with her family’s light display.
And they make sure to keep things fresh, one of Brooke’s favorite parts of the display, “Every year we get a new element for Christmas. This year we got a Merry Christmas sign, light up bells, and a snowflake.”
And for Brett, his favorite part is as simple as flipping a switch, “Getting to switch them all on. It’s just fun and satisfying because you kind of feel like Clark Griswold when he’s going “gshhhhh” with the plugin and everything and your house just gets lit up.”
“Come down and see the Novotny’s Christmas display!”
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